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Updated: Oct 22, 2026

Elemental-sensitive Detection of the Chemistry in Batteries through Soft X-ray Absorption Spectroscopy and Resonant Inelastic X-ray Scattering
Published on: April 17, 2018
Anion-Cation Targeted Regulation Enables Ultrafast and Stable Sodium Metal Batteries at Low Temperatures
Tonghui Zhang1, Ying Xiao1, Yu Han1
1State Key Laboratory of Chemical Resource Engineering, Beijing Key Laboratory of Electrochemical Process and Technology of Materials, National Engineering Research Center for Fuel Cell and Hydrogen Source Technology, Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Beijing, P. R. China.
Abstract:
Anion-dominated solvation and artificial interfacial engineering have been intensively pursued for low-temperature sodium-metal batteries (SMBs), yet they face constraints from temperature-sensitive solvation dynamics and interfacial control. Here we propose anion-cation-targeted regulation via Sn(OTf)2 that simultaneously constructs a solvent-reinforced solvation structure and electrochemically induces an alloy-based solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) (Na15Sn4), which goes beyond the prevailing anion-centric strategy to address the critical challenges of SMBs at subzero temperatures. Competitive Sn2+-Na+ coordination excludes PF6 - from the primary solvation sheath, while OTf- and the ether groups of diethylene glycol dimethyl ether (DEGDME) coupling foster a solvent-dominated configuration, substantially reducing the Na+ desolvation energy barrier at low temperatures. This design enables Na||Na3V2(PO4)3 cells to deliver a recorded 1050 cycles at -20°C and 20 C, and nearly 700 cycles at -50°C. Ah-scale pouch cells sustain durable 450 cycles at -20°C, with a 6 Ah cell reaching 215 Wh kg-1 at 25°C (total cell mass). Our findings resolve the longstanding trade-off between low-temperature kinetics and stability in SMBs, offering a new design rationale beyond conventional interfacial engineering.
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Salts are ionic compounds composed of cations and anions, either of which may be capable of undergoing an acid or base ionization reaction with water. Aqueous salt solutions, therefore, may be acidic, basic, or neutral, depending on the relative acid-base strengths of the salt’s constituent ions. For example, dissolving the ammonium chloride in water results in its dissociation, as described by the equation: